And with military tension between the ongoing border-limit and drone activities between Pakistan, the Government of India has ordered to block 8,000 accounts on X and remove Pakistan connected on digital platforms.
Press freedom activists have chosen the move.
The Pakistani Army on Wednesday responded with drones and artillery attacks after claiming to attack nine places in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, stating that there were many terrorists.
Blocked accounts under government order
The Government of India ordered the social media platform X to block more than 8,000 accounts, including prominent Pakistani journalists, news organizations and even some Indian news portals like Hamid Mir and Najam Sethi. Maktoob Media, Kashmiriut And Wire,
On Thursday, the country’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry issued an advisory direction to online streaming platforms to immediately remove all Pakistani-root materials including web series, films, songs and podcast citing national security.
Elon Musk-Less X Had received an executive order from the Government of India, in which the company needed to block more than 8,000 accounts in India.
The company said, “To follow the orders, we will stop the accounts specified in India alone. We have started that process. However, we disagree with the demands of the government.”
“In most cases, the Government of India has not specified which positions from an account have violated India’s local law,” the company’s statement continued. “For a significant number of accounts, we did not find any evidence or justification to block accounts.”
The X reported that the fall of executive orders could subdue the company to the potential punishment, including significant fines and imprisonment of its local employees.
The free speech advocates look at the move as a censorship by the Government of India, at a time when both sides are engaged in competition, which have unclear the truth in the India-Pakistan struggles.
“In this important period, India should avoid illegally and arbitrarily blocking social media accounts and websites of journalists, news publications and citizens, nor take any other steps that can restrict the flow of information,” Platek Wagre DW.
“Confusion to take root of discovery restrictions and make a fertile ground for false narratives, as they limit access to reliable information and report,” Waghre said.
Pratic Sinha, Founder of Fact -Checking website Old newsDedicated to the wrong information and disintegration, criticized the government for climbing media and independent voices in the name of national security.
Sinha told DW, “The authorities have never liked any form of independent media as it disrupts it as speaking against the government or the country. It is a censorship.”
Clampdown on online information
The annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, titled “Frontline Democracy: Media Amid Political Manthan,” earlier this month, presents a clearly of press freedom in India, which departs in -depth of the challenges and challenges and challenges challenging media organizations.
Despite India’s slight increase in the World Press Freedom index, 151 out of 180 countries in 2025 rose to 151, stating that the main issues threatening to the freedom of the press are unresolved.
“Every writer’s effort is done about crushing, arbitrary hit, arbitrary hit to file media houses, monitoring, intimidation and harassment of journalists, policy matters;
Another report, by free speech collector, sheds light on how the first four months of 2025 have not seen well for the freedom of speech and expression in India.
The report said, “Censorship, free speech and press were perceived through indirect attacks on freedom.”
Early Gupta of the Internet Freedom Foundation said, “Any content-specific takedown must proceed under a clear legal basis, publish a legal logic so that they can stand with constitutional investigation and set up an independent inspection mechanism for future security material functions.”
Website of WireA news organization known for IT investigative journalism and its vocals became inaccessible in most parts of the country on Friday.
The forum said that this step was based on the orders of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the 2000 IT Act and said that they take old steps to take legal steps to challenge it.
Wire Ombudsmuds Pamela Philipose told DW that wheels on boundaries are at one time, hostlinities and citizens across the country are eager to receive authentic, misinformation-free news, this step to block it.
Philipose said, “The news portal always took the public to provide a true account of all developments, which was both readable and reliable.” “We can only hope that this is only a passing blip and it will come back to what it does – bringing authentic news and information to the Indian and international people.”
Control the story
A government spokesperson refused to comment on tasks, but appears to mix real safety concerns with a desire to control inspiration stories.
But free-speaking activists and media commentators believe that India’s mainstream media has shrunk rapidly for hard-touching journalism, dissatisfaction and debate.
A correct information worker Amrita Johri, who has worked closely on the issue, said that the 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act said, due to the implementation of the soon, the press will weaken freedom, investigative journalism and the right to information.
Activists have said that the new measure amends the right to the Information Act and provides a blanket exemption on the disclosure of personal information, which will severely weaken the people’s important information and the ability to demand accountability from the government.
“It will have a cool effect on all those who, including journalists, media, civil society and even political parties, process and spread,” Johri told DW.
“While fake news and misinformation require caps, the regulations should be within the constitutional structure and should be subject to inspection by an independent mechanism,” he said.
Edited by: Ben Night
